Naracoorte students benefit from Resilience Project

Melbourne based Company ‘The Resilience Project’ returned to Naracoorte High School this month to provide students with some valuable life lessons on mental health.

Education manager and presenter Martin Heppell of the nationally renowned program, engaged over 140 Year 8 and Year 7 students from Naracoorte, Frances and Padthaway with the three key elements to building resilience:

Gratitude

Mindfulness

Empathy

The students heard stories and saw statistics on mental health in the 90 minute presentation.

“With one in four adolescents having a mental illness in today’s society and one in three girls and one in five boys suffering from an anxiety disorder, the need for guidance and direction is essential,” Mr Heppell said.

“Alarmingly, in today’s society 65 per cent of adolescents do not seek help for mental illness so we must be proactive in making a difference to our youth.”

Mr Heppell spent a considerable amount of time growing up with his family in Borneo and was educated in different parts of South East Asia.

“I am passionate about children being given the opportunity to be raised in a positive manner that evokes confidence and a zest for life,” Mr Heppell said.

Naracoorte High School principal Kym Grant said students found the presentation to be extremely beneficial.

“The positive message presented on the day left those students who attended with an optimistic feeling and the feedback from teachers and students was excellent,” he said.

“Mental wellness is a huge issue and the ‘Resilience Project’ was an excellent proactive strategy to support these students so they can learn the best techniques to cope.”